Because athletes need more calories than people who are less active, they tend to consume more protein via the extra food they eat. If you're one of these people, usually, just getting enough calories to meet your energy needs and eating a reasonable variety of foods is enough to ensure that you get the protein you need. This is especially true for endurance athletes, such as swimmers, cyclists, runners, and triathletes. If you are into strength training (weight lifting, wrestling, or football, for example), you need to be more aware of getting enough protein-rich foods in your diet, especially if your calorie intake is low. Any athlete who is restricting calories to lose weight while training should also be more careful to get enough protein.

It's easy for athletes to add protein to a vegetarian diet. Each of the following foods would add at least 10 grams of protein (as well as other nutrients) to your diet:

• A large bowl of whole-grain cereal with soymilk
• A bagel with peanut butter
• A 12-ounce soymilk smoothie with wheat germ and strawberries
• 1 cup vegetarian chili over 1 cup rice
• A tempeh sloppy joe
• 1 cup soy yogurt with 1/2 cup Grape-Nuts
• A pita pocket with hummus and grated carrots
• A large baked potato topped with 1 cup lentil soup
• Two bean burritos
• A bean taco and a bean burrito
• A large plate of pasta tossed with olive oil and vegetables